


The Broken Crown

by That_Mediocre_Writer



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst, Darker Than Disney, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Might add more tags later, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-09-26 08:45:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17138648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Mediocre_Writer/pseuds/That_Mediocre_Writer
Summary: When Ben gets injured in the fight against the pirates and Evie gets stuck on the Isle, it’s up to Mal, Carlos, and Jay to rescue her. But when they do, they realize that she has not escaped the aisle unscathed. Nothing will be the same...





	1. Bleeding Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to Note:  
> -In this story Mal and Ben realize that they don’t truly love each other after the first movie  
> -The pretend to date to set a good image for the public  
> -Evie isn’t dating Doug  
> -Lonnie doesn’t go with the VKs to help Ben  
> -The Isle will be darker than Disney canon (as will the VK’s childhood/past)
> 
> I got an idea after reading It’s Going Down by thebench2008 and combined it with another idea that I had. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, so there may be inaccuracies in this chapter. Any mistakes are my own. I skimmed over this once, but I probably missed some. Hope you enjoy!

This was bad. The rescue had been going well. Keys words? _Had been_.

They had successfully tricked Uma into exchanging Ben for the “wand”. Uma was obviously pissed when she realized the wand was fake, and now, they were fighting to escape.

Mal was occupied with her fierce battle with Uma, when she heard a cry of pain from behind her. She risked a glance back and saw Ben, leaning heavily against the rail of the dock and breathing raggedly. Blood stained the leather outfit that Evie had made for him. 

Other people had noticed too. Pirates surged towards the vulnerable king. Mal felt a slight sting in her upper right arm and immediately returned her focus to Uma. She chided herself for breaking one of the most important rules of the Isle. _Never take your focus off of your enemy_. 

Uma was smirking and brandishing her sword. Mal snarled and lunged forward. Thankfully, unseen to Mal, Carlos and Evie had stepped up to defend Ben.

“We have to get him out of here,” panted Carlos.

Evie agreed. “I know. We need to get him into the limo and back to Auradon.”

Nearby, Mal had managed to shake off Uma, who stopped to save Harry from falling into the shark-infested waters. With great effort, they slowly but surely managed to haul Ben up the ladder. He had passed out from the pain and shock at this point. Jay supported his upper body, while Mal kept hold of his legs. Carlos fought off the few pirates that remained ahead of them, and Evie guarded the rear.

Ben wasn’t looking too good. His face was pale and sweaty. His face twisted in a pained grimace, and blood continued to seep through his clothes. Evie frowned. She had probably been injured the least on the Isle compared to her friends. Her mother’s rage over incorrectly applied eyeshadow or a mismatched outfit would be nothing compared to her wrath over permanent scars and blood-stained clothes. She had quickly learned the best ways to fight without ending up covered in cuts and bruises. Because of this, she often ended up taking care of the others with whatever medical supplies they could make or scavenge. She knew that Ben’s wound was serious. He needed medical attention as soon as possible. 

They rushed to the tunnel as fast as they could, with the pirates hot on their trail. Just as she was about to cross the makeshift bridge, she felt a strong grip on her arm yank her back. She spun around to see Gil, who quickly grabbed her other arm and pinned her hands together behind her back. She let out a small yelp of surprise.

Mal glanced over her shoulder to see Evie in the hands of the pirate. She inhaled sharply. She turned to Jay, who had noticed as well and said, “Get Ben to the limo, now. We’ll be right behind you.”

He frowned for a moment. Then, he nodded, scooped Ben into his arms, and ran. Mal turned back to face Gil and Evie. The rest of the pirates, along with Harry and Uma were quickly catching up. She paused. On the one hand, Ben was injured and the longer it took to get back to Auradon, the more likely it would be that he end up a whole lot worse than that. On the other hand, Gil had Evie, whose greatest fear was being trapped on the Isle again. Evie, sensing Mal’s hesitation spoke up, “Mal, you need to go. Auradon needs Ben, and if you don’t get him back soon, he will die.”

“I can’t just leave you,” Mal pleaded.

Evie argued, “You can, and you have to. Mal, there’s too many pirates for you to fight off. If you stay, it’ll only end with both of us in Uma’s hands.”

“You know, she’s probably right. There are a lot of pirates and only one of you, Mal,” Gil helpfully added.

Mal glared at him. She turned to Evie again, eyes fierce and determined. “I will come back for you.”

“I know,” Evie said with a small smile. “ **Go**.”

Mal paused for a moment, and then kicked the makeshift bridge into the water below. Before ducking through the tunnel, she gave one last glance over her shoulder at Evie, who nodded resolutely.

She rushed towards the limo and slammed the door shut. “Drive,” she ordered Jay. She looked at Ben who was lying down on the seat of the limo. Carlos already had his shirt bunched up against Ben’s wound to staunch the bleeding as best he could.

Carlos looked at her confused. “Where’s Evie?” he asked.

She shook her head, eyes watery. “The pirates have her. Gil grabbed her before she could cross the bridge. She told me to go. I didn’t want to, but she was right. We needed to help Ben, and there were too many pirates for me to fight off. If anything happens to her...it’ll be my fault.” Carlos stayed silent, processing what Mal had said. She checked Ben once over herself before realizing, “Wait, we’re off the Isle now. I can use my spell book to heal Ben! Where is it?” She searched around frantically for a few minutes. Eventually, she gave up and sighed. She placed her head in her hands and groaned, “Great, so now Evie _and_ my spellbook are stuck on the Isle. What I am going to do?”

A tear rolled down her face. Normally, Mal wasn’t one to cry. But now, she was exhausted, her spellbook was on the Isle, Ben was hurt, and Evie was in the hands of Uma.

Carlos reached over and put his hand on Mal’s shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. “Don’t worry. You can’t use magic on the Isle. They won’t be able to do anything with your spellbook. And we’re almost back in Auradon, where we can get Ben taken care of. As soon as we make sure that Ben will be alright, we can go back and get her. Okay? We will save her. Trust me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it’s been a while since I’ve written anything because life is crazy and writer’s block is terrible. I have a plot loosely mapped out but I can’t promise regular updates. If people seem to like this and want to read more, I will try to update frequently. Feel free to leave kudos or comments giving me advice or feedback. Thanks for reading!


	2. Unkept Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I impressed myself by not procrastinating and actually writing something. This chapter was a bit longer than I expected it was going to be. It’s more of a filler chapter, but I definitely have some angsty stuff planned soon. Reminder that Descendants belongs to Disney and any mistakes belong to me.

Ben was going to be okay. Mal let out a sigh of relief. The cut was pretty deep, but no vital organs had been damaged. Everyone else’s injuries were only superficial and would heal fairly quickly.

Of course, explaining how Ben had received such a serious injury was challenging. When they had arrived, the doctors rushed Ben into the emergency room, no questions asked. Unsurprisingly, Fairy Godmother, Adam, and Belle had been notified upon their arrival. They arrived at the hospital as quickly as possible. Almost immediately, they looked to Mal, Jay, and Carlos for answers. 

“What happened to Ben? Is he okay?” Belle asked.

“And where is Evie?” Fairy Godmother added.

The three exhausted kids turned to each other uncertainly. Mal knew that telling the truth could get them, and especially herself, into trouble. She also knew that this was her fault and that lying would probably make the situation even worse. “Ben got cut by a pirate on the Isle of the Lost. The doctor says he’ll be alright though,” she said quietly.

“The Isle of the Lost? What on earth was he doing there?!” Adam snarled.

Belle put a calming hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Let her tell the whole story.”

Mal took a deep breath and told them about how she and Ben had broken up but pretended to date to give the VKs a good public image. After all, if the daughter of the most evil villain could change enough to date the king of Auradon, surely they could all be reformed. She explained how the pressure of being so good all the time and of trying to be something she wasn’t had grown and grown until she couldn’t take it anymore. Mal grew quieter as she told them about her decision to go back to the Isle. She hadn’t expected Ben to come after her. He had promised her that if she came back, they could break up publicly. That keeping a good public image wasn’t worth Mal’s stress and anxiety. She told them about how she had asked for time to think and how Ben had gotten captured by pirates. After a brief explanation of who Uma was, she told them about Uma’s deal, the plan of making a fake wand, and the fight after the pirates realized it was fake. Mal recalled when Ben had gotten slashed by the pirate and how, in their haste to get off the Isle, Evie had been held back by the pirates.

“She told me to go. There were too many pirates. I wanted to stay, but Ben needed help,” Mal said frantically, pacing back and forth. “She shouldn’t be there. She doesn’t belong on the Isle. Oh god, if anything happens to her, it’ll be my fault.”

Jay stood up and took her into his arms. “Hey, it’s not your fault. Okay? You couldn’t have done anything even if you stayed. Ben needed help, and he’s safe now. We’ll go back to the Isle and save Evie. She’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.”

The adults observed the rare moment of public vulnerability silently while they processed all that Mal had said. Then, a nurse stepped into the waiting room and said, “He’s awake. He asking for you all.”

The nurse led them to Ben’s room, where he was sitting up in the hospital bed. His parents quickly engulfed him in a gentle hug. After admonishing him for being so rash, they stepped out of the room to talk with Fairy Godmother privately.

“Mal, I am so—Wait, where’s Evie? Did she get hurt too?” Ben asked, looking very concerned.

Mal frowned. Ben had been unconscious by the time Gil had grabbed Evie. “No,” she said slowly, “When we were trying to get you to the limo, Gil grabbed Evie. There were too many pirates to fight off, and we had to get you to a hospital.” Mal paused for a moment. “She’s still on the Isle, Ben.”

Ben paled. “But I—I promised her that she wouldn’t get stuck on the Isle.”

“We’re going to get her back,” Mal declared. “I don’t care what it takes, I’m not letting Evie pay for my mistake.” She sat down in a nearby chair, placed her head in her hands, and groaned, “I should never have run away in the first place.”

“No, this is my fault,” Ben argued. “I shouldn’t have wandered off. If I had just stayed with the others, none of this would’ve happened. And I should’ve seen how stressed you were. Mal, I’m so sorry.”

Mal waved him off. “None of this important right now. What is important is getting Evie back.”

A voice from the doorway interrupted them. “And we will, after you’ve all gotten some rest,” Fairy Godmother stated firmly. “It’s late, and you all look exhausted.”

“But—“ Mal started.

Fairy Godmother held up her hand. “Get some sleep,” she ordered, “and we’ll talk about it in the morning.” She walked away leaving the kids by themselves.

They sat down quietly until Carlos broke the silence. “Fairy Godmother’s right. We won’t be able to help Evie if we can’t keep our eyes open.”

“That’s true. It’s only one night, Mal. We need to be alert and ready when we go back,” Jay added.

Ben spoke up from the bed, “I’m coming with you guys. I broke my promise, and I should help fix this.” The three stared at him like he was insane.

“No, Ben. You were literally slashed in the stomach hours ago on the Isle. You’re not coming with us,” Mal said firmly. Turning back to the Carlos and Jay, she took a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll all go back to our dorms and sleep for tonight. But we’re waking up early tomorrow and bringing Evie back to Auradon as soon as possible. Got it?” 

They nodded in response. They said bye to Ben and started towards the dormitories together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nighttime, and most of the pirates were asleep. All except for three. “Well well well, looks like we traded a crown for a crown,” Uma spat, unveiled anger in her eyes. Gil held her still while Harry finished tying her hands together behind her. “How _good_ of you to sacrifice your freedom for the king,” Uma mocked. “Auradon has made you soft.”

“Maybe it has, but Auradon’s a much better place than the Isle. Even you know that,” Evie stated. “Wasn’t the whole point of trading Ben for the wand so you could bring down the barrier and escape? So you can live a better life?”

Uma narrowed her eyes but remained silent, so Evie continued, “Ben was right though. This isn’t the answer. Uma, I know what life on the Isle is like. And I was lucky enough to be given the chance to live in Auradon. There, they have food, soft beds, and safety. They don’t live their lives wondering if they’ll survive to see another day. But kidnapping the king, holding me hostage, fighting, won’t get you out of here. If you would just give Auradon and being good a chance—“

“Being good?” Uma cut her off. “Look where being _good_ got you. Besides, I don’t plan on holding you hostage. I won’t make anymore deals with Mal. There’s something else in store for you.” Before Evie could respond, Uma turned to Harry and ordered, “Take her down to the brig.”

She was led down to a small, cold cell that had a small wooden bench to sit on. As Harry locked the door, Uma grabbed hold of the bars and leaned in, saying lowly, “You see, Princess, I had one of my crew deliver a little message earlier.” She paused and grinned slowly. “ **Your mother knows that you’re here.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would y’all prefer shorter, more frequent updates or longer, less frequent updates?


	3. Family Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s really late, and I’m tired so sorry for any typos.

The three pirates chuckled cruelly and left. Evie’s blood ran cold. _Fuck._ Her mother knew she was here? This was bad. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother had seen the coronation and the promise to be good. Shortly after the coronation, she had thought about how angry her mother must’ve been. But that had been quickly forgotten in celebration afterwards. Now, all of those thoughts were resurfacing. 

While Evie knew her mother must have been and still be furious, she wasn’t quite sure what the Evil Queen had planned for her. She’s actually very thankful that it had not been Jay or especially Carlos to get stuck on the Isle. The beatings they received from Jafar and Cruella before going to Auradon had been bad enough. Evie shuddered at the thought of what might’ve happened to them if their parents had gotten their hands on them. Maleficent was still a lizard and didn’t pose much of a threat at the moment. The Evil Queen had never actually resorted to corporal punishment for fear of leaving any permanent marks that could mar her daughter’s beauty. If Evie failed to live up to her mother’s standards, she would usually be sent to her room or denied what little food she received normally.

She considered herself the luckiest of her friends in terms of parents. Cruella treated Carlos like a slave, Jafar thought Jay was useless, and Maleficent made it abundantly clear that she thought Mal’s human blood made her worthless and inadequate. At least the Evil Queen said she cared about Evie.

Still, her mother could be scary when she wanted to be. She wasn’t sure what her mother would do, but she knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant mother-daughter reunion. Evie fidgeted until she found the most comfortable position with her hands still being tied behind her and swiftly fell into an uneasy sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were already dressed in their Isle outfits when they entered Ben’s room at the hospital the next morning. “We’re borrowing the limo,” Mal said. Not a request, but a statement. Her tone left no room for argument.

Not that Ben argued at all. “Yes, of course. Take anything you need. Whatever I can give to help you can you have. Just, please...bring her back,” he finished softly.

“We will,” Mal said fiercely.

Carlos started listing potential items that they might need, “Well, we’re not sure how long it’ll take, so we may take some extra food. Small, but energizing. Maybe some of those protein bars?”

“Good idea. We should probably also take some basic first aid supplies, just in case,” Jay added.

Mal nodded grimly, “Let’s just hope we don’t have to use them.”

It was at that moment when Fairy Godmother entered. “I see you three are ready to go. I’ve arranged for some of the royal guard to accompany and assist you.”

The three Isle kids stared in disbelief. “Are you joking?” Jay asked. “You don’t actually think that’s a good idea, do you?”

Befor Fairy Godmother could respond, Mal spoke up, “We appreciate you trying to help Fairy Godmother, but this is something we need to do alone. We need the element of surprise if we want to save Evie, and being surrounded by soldiers in bright blue and gold uniforms is a dead giveaway. If the pirates find out that we’re trying to rescue Evie, who knows what they might do to her.”

Carlos piped up, “And besides, they’re not gonna know the first thing about fighting on the Isle. We fight dirty and they’re probably not used to that. We don’t want anyone one else getting hurt.”

Fairy Godmother frowned, “I see your point, but what are you going to do if one of you gets hurt?”

“They’ll be taking some medical supplies,” Ben answered for them. “You should know that they’ll go no matter what you say, Fairy Godmother. Besides, I’ve seen them fight, I trust them. If anyone can get Evie back, it’s them.”

“Okay, but let us know as soon as you return. I know that you won’t come back until Evie is safe. Cotillion is in two days. If you are not back by then, we will come up with an excuse for your absence. Please be careful.”

Mal nodded, “Don’t worry, we will be.” She turned to Carlos and Jay. “C’mon guys, let’s go.” 

She followed them to the door, pausing and looking over her shoulder at Ben when he spoke up softly, “Mal? When you see her, can you tell her I’m sorry?” Mal paused, and then nodded and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evie awoke to the sound of Harry obnoxiously banging his hook against the metal bars of her cell. “Rise and shine, Princess,” he smirked. “You’ve got a big day ahead of ye.” She had not gotten a very restful sleep from both the uncomfortable position and the thoughts that had been racing through her head. Harry unlocked the cell, yanked Evie out of it, and pulled her stumbling up the stairs onto the ship’s deck.

The sudden change in light had Evie squinting as Uma sauntered up to her. “Time to go, princess,” she said, taking hold of the rope that bound Evie’s hand behind her back and shoving her towards the docks. She stopped abruptly and turned to Harry. “You’re in charge while I’m gone.”

He grinned and saluted, “Aye aye, captain.”

Uma started walking again and Evie almost tripped several times at the pace they were going. Evie could only assume that they were heard to the Castle Across the Way as they walked through several alleyways and streets. At some point, Uma started to talk to fill the silence. “You know, your mother’s pretty eager to have you back in her clutches. Said she wanted to teach you a lesson for choosing to disobey her. I can’t say I blame her,” she said. “You four were our ticket off this island. We all thought that we would be free from this prison. As much as I hate Mal, I was hoping that she would succeed for once. And then, to watch her choose the son of the man who put us here over her own people? To see all of you choose good and forget about us? I was furious. I still am. But your parents? They were even madder.”

Evie frowned, “I didn’t forget about everyone here. I’ve been working since the coronation to try to bring kids from the Isle to Auradon.”

“It’s been a year,” Uma ground out.

“It’s been hard. Convincing the counsel to let more villain kids over. They still don’t completely trust us. Don’t you think I know that none of the kids here deserve this? I was one of you.”

Uma chuckled bitterly, “You still are, princess. You think that just because you’ve lived in Auradon for a year means that everyone there will automatically trust you? You were born and raised _here_. You’ll _always_ be one of us, whether you like or not. And if you’re still not convinced, I think your mother will teach you otherwise.”

Uma’s words brough Evie’s focus back to her surroundings. She looked up to the familiar looming shape of the castle she had been trapped in for most of her life. Uma marched up to the large wooden doors and knocked. A man that looked vaguely familiar to Evie opened the door and looked at the two of them. He rumbled, “She’s expecting you.” The doors opened to a large throne room. 

But it was different than Evie remembered. The Evil Queen cared too much about her own appearance and her daughter’s appearance to pay attention to things that she considered to be beneath royalty, such as cleaning and cooking. The banishment by Maleficent also ensured that no one dared to enter the castle, so servants weren’t an option until Evie and Mal had become friends. The food they ate was brought by the vultures. Every once in a while, young Evie would try to cook or tidy up the castle, only to be reprimanded for doing “servant’s work”. And so, the room, like the castle, was usually dirty.

Now, Evie could tell that someone had done their best to tidy up. The floors and walls were slightly less grimy. The carpet was less dusty and some of the stains were gone. At the back of the room, on a dais, sat a throne. This, too, was much cleaner than she remembered it being. While there were still scratches and spots of rust, the metal was no longer and dull and the jewels almost seemed to sparkle. 

Of course, sitting in that throne, looking as regal as ever, was the Evil Queen. Her mother was glaring at her disdainfully. She beckoned them forward. Evie had originally planned to be defiant, to show her mother that she was good now. But seeing the disapproval and contempt in her mother’s eyes withered that resolve. Evie, out of pure instinct, curtsied as best she could with her hand tied. Her mother sneered, “That was pathetic. I hope you don’t believe that will excuse any of your past transgressions.”

“Of course not, mother.”

Her mother turned to Uma and said, “You have done well, returning my daughter to me. I will see to it that you will be rewarded.”

Uma bowed, “Thank you, your majesty.”

“You are dismissed.” Uma nodded and exited the castle, the man from before closing the doors behind her. The Evil Queen stood, towering over Evie. She strode gracefully to her daughter and whispered, “And you, my dear, are coming with me.” She looked up in the direction of the doors and commanded. “Follow us.”

Evie was led down to the dungeons by her mother. She had been here before, if her mother was particularly disappointed with her. She would be locked in a cell for any length of time without food and little water until she had learned her lesson. But now, the Evil Queen led her to a different part of the dungeon. It was a rather large room, several different devices lined the side walls. The back wall was decorated with rusted chains and dried blood. Although Evie had never been into this room before, she knew what it was.

Once she had joined Mal, Jay, and Carlos, their parents had also formed an uneasy sort of alliance. Sometimes, if Jafar or Cruella we’re feeling particularly sadistic, they would bring their respective child to the dungeons of the Castle Across the Way for a severe punishment. Evie’s breath caught in her throat as she remembered the harrowing screams of her friends. She remembered desperately trying to get to them but the doors would always be locked. Her mother would always drag her up to her room before she even got a chance to see if they were okay.

Evie was so shocked that she hadn’t even noticed the man from before enter the room. “Cut her loose and put her over there,” the Evil Queen ordered, gesturing to the back wall. He grabbed a small shiny knife from his belt and sliced through the ropes. Evie’s entire body was numb and pliant as the man led her to the wall and shackled her wrists above her head. “Leave us. I would like to have a private conversation with my daughter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That got dark real fast. I meant to update this sooner but procrastination happened. On the plus side, I’ve already written part of the next chapter, so hopefully I won’t wait as long to update.


End file.
